


31 Prompts (endless hiatus)

by KiraLioden



Category: Ori and the Blind Forest
Genre: Angst, Fluff, I'm not entirely sure, There is no Ship but FriendShip, but be careful, or mix of both, possibly some suicidal triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-24 12:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16175021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiraLioden/pseuds/KiraLioden
Summary: Hi, I made aPrompt Listfor this month and I'm trying to complete it by making one-shots revolving mainly around Ori and Kuro's last child.





	1. Prompt 1: Love

It was no fault of the owlet’s that Ori felt uncomfortable. It couldn’t help who its mother was, and what she had done. Even if it had, Ori wouldn’t have blamed it. It was a cruel thing to lose your entire family. 

But nevertheless, Ori couldn’t help but see  _her_  in the little owl’s figure. It wasn’t even that they  _hated_  her. They knew the pain of losing someone they loved. They saw her lose her children. And they understood, to some degree, her grief, her loss, her pain, her rage. They respected her sacrifice, however much they regretted it had happened. Helping her last child would be the least they could do to honor her memory. 

But she struck a fear that had scarred them as much as the wounds tbarely hidden by their fur. 

And however unfortunately, it wasn’t something they could shake off.

Still, Ori went to visit Swallow’s Nest. Regardless of their fear, the owlet was part of their family as much as the newborn spirit guardians were. They were eager to see Naru and Gumo again, too.

But when they arrived, there was only the little owl to greet them. It seemed it was sleeping, until the sound of Ori’s footsteps woke it up.

“Ori?“ It blinked groggily at the spirit guardian, before brightening up. “Ori!” the little bird peeped. It half tumbled out of its miniature nest and teetered towards them on its too-big feet. “Hi, Ori!“

Ori tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. “Hi there, Eggie.“ Naru’s nickname for the chick seemed wrong in their mouth, but they pushed the feeling aside. “Where’s Naru?“

“She went to get num-nums,” the chick replied eagerly. “Gumo’s helping. But Ori! I’m so happy to see you!” It churred and wrapped its wings around Ori in a hug, causing them to flinch at the initial touch. But the owlet remained undisturbed; it pressed its body against theirs and sighed contentedly. 

“I missed you so much,” it said.

Ori froze. They weren’t expecting that from the owlet. For a moment, they stood there awkwardly, blinking down at the chick in bewilderment.

The chick was glad to see them. It missed them.

Just that little fact made Ori relax. They still didn’t yet feel  _love_  for the chick, not the way they loved Naru in any case, but it was more than just simply caring. 

And so, with affection now fluttering inside them, Ori smiled an easy, genuine smile and returned the hug. 


	2. Prompt 2: Flight

“Do you think I’ll ever fly?”

The question was so out of the blue, Ori was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

The owlet swiveled its head to gaze at Ori. Without so much as another word, it spread out its right wing. The wing was a pitiful sight. It wasn’t enough to catch the air and keep the young owl aloft. 

And Ori then understood all its concerns.

“Eggie, I’m sure you will.”

“I’m glad you believe that,” the owlet said, edging closer to Ori. Once nestled by their side, it sighed and tilted its head toward the night sky. “I want to be up there, with the stars. It’s like it’s calling me.”

_Calling out._

The words were an echo of their own past. Ori remembered that night. The indescribable longing, the  _need_  they had to return the Spirit Tree. Naru had feared for them then, but their life seemed so insignificant compared to all the damage not going caused.

Ori’s paw paused right over the owlet’s back. Neither of them had voiced such thoughts, but Ori had a suspicion the Spirit Tree’s call had not only caused the death of the owlet’s siblings, but was also a part in damaging its then-developing wing.

Guilt was not a pleasant feeling.

With a small shake of their head, Ori wrapped their arm around the owl. “I promise you’ll get to fly.”

The owlet leaned its head against Ori and said nothing.

* * *

Gumo had told them it was a good idea, but there was one more piece they needed before he could rig the contraption. “Something that could catch the breeze,” he told Ori.

A leaf might have done. But Ori had other ideas. They were making their way toward the fields around Mount Horu. They had dropped it here before, when she had snatched them out of the air. If it were anywhere else, Ori would have assumed it lost entirely, swept away by the breeze. But this particular area was still. They could smell the ashes.

But that wasn’t the focus for today. They didn’t need to go too far in, considering where they fell.

And they soon found it.

Under their own wisp, and hers.

Ori’s heart skipped a beat. Watching this again wasn’t going to help. But it was so hard to look away. They hadn’t yet seen what she did, and being the curious creature they were, they kind of wanted to know.

But the past played out before them, and soon they felt sick. Tearing their gaze from the figures, Ori snatched the thing they needed before dashing back the way they came. Their eyes burned, and they could have sworn they heard screams, but today wasn’t the day they would linger in the memories of the fallen. They had a wish to fulfill, and that was all.

* * *

Ori swallowed. They glanced at Gumo for reassurance. He nodded- or bobbed up and down, they couldn’t tell. But either way, it still was encouragement. Releasing their pent-up breath, they stepped into the cave. They found the owlet scratching at the dirt.

It looked up. “Hi Ori!" 

"Uh, hi.” Ori looked behind them, but Gumo had not yet entered. Their tail twitched. “Remember when you asked me if you’d ever fly?”

The owlet suddenly looked more reserved. “Yeah. Why?”

“Well, I asked Gumo if there was a way we could help you with that. Isn’t that right, Gumo?” They raised their voice on his name, hoping he’d take the hint. 

Gumo then lumbered into the cave with the contraption in his arms. With a small “Ta-da” of pride, he offered it for the owlet to inspect.

The young owl looked between the contraption and Gumo, then at Ori. Its eyes were wide. “That’s a feather.”

“Yes, it is.” Ori forced down the lump in their throat. “It was the one I used to glide.”

If anything, the owlet’s eyes only seemed to grow wider. “You mean-”

“It’s your mother’s.”

There. It was said.

The owlet was silent for a moment, and Ori was afraid they had said the wrong thing. But before they could apologize, the chick rushed to hug them in a flurry of feathers.

“Thank you so much, Ori!” it said. “I’ve heard mama birds usually teach the babies how to fly, and now my egg-mama will help me learn too!”

“I-” Ori looked at Gumo for help. He shrugged. Smiling nervously, they said, “You’re welcome.”

And with that, Gumo came closer and scooped them both up. 

“Now let’s get you flying,” he told the chick, and they left for the wide skies outside.


	3. Prompt 3: Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time as in, death reverses time. Potential trigger on what I think may classify as suicidal thoughts.

Soul Links were the only reason Ori was still alive. They knew how often they had died trying to save Nibel. And it was a gift that they could reverse time itself and try again.

But they seemed to be the only one to remember anything from a failed attempt. How many times did they have to listen to the same speeches, or her piercing shrieks? 

So, while it meant they could go back and try to do things right the next time, it made them feel... slightly disconnected. There was no consequence for failure. It was easy to reverse the act, with only a death between them and a clean slate.

It scared them that they were even thinking about this.

Hearing their name jolted them out of their line of thought. The spirit guardian looked up to see the owlet's concerned face. It tilted its head. "You look sad."

Ori patted the owlet. "I'm fine," they replied. "I was just thinking." They refrained from adding further. It didn't need to know the specifics.

The owlet narrowed its eyes. For a moment, it stared, as if trying to dig up more of an explanation. But having apparently found none, its typical cheerful twinkle returned. "I wanted to go fly, but Mama told me I had to ask you to come along. Could we, Ori?" 

"Sure." Ori slid down from their bed. The owlet made a chirrup of delight and scrambled off as fast as its little legs could take it.

Time was the greatest healer in most of the forest. Besides the ash all over the fields near Mount Horu, much of the forest had recovered.

The owlet soared high above Ori, only swooping downward to snatch a grub or something similar. It was peaceful.

Perhaps too peaceful, since Ori didn't realize their location until they were pricked in the thigh. They yelped and jerked away. After a moment, they realized where they were

The Thornfelt Swamp.

They lifted their head up to call for the owlet. But the sound of a projectile being spat out- and the shriek of pain that followed- stopped them. Heart leaping into their throat, they raced the source.

Ori found the owlet limping away from one of the spitting slug holes. The ugly beast burst out from the earth again. Without another thought, Ori leaped in to attack.

They weren't sure what that did, or how they killed it, but soon the slug had exploded. Slime covered Ori. It numbed their senses, but they ignored it. The owlet was more important than themself. Ori knelt beside the bird. It swiveled its head to meet Ori's gaze, and their heart broke to see the pain in its eyes.

"Eggie, I'm so sorry, I- I have to fix this."

Maybe the young owl saw something in their eyes, but there was a sudden apprehension in their voice. "Ori... What do you mean by..."

The words slipped out before they could stop them. "I can take it all back if I died. The Soul Link means I wouldn't stay dead, and time would go back and you-"

"No!" the owlet cried. "You shouldn't!"

"But it'd be better-"

"I don't care if it'd be better!" Its voice lowered in volume, but quavered. "Please, Ori. I don't want you to die, not for me." It paused, looking up at them with scared eyes. "Promise you wouldn't do that."

Tacky as the words were, they were so earnest, so genuine. Ori blinked at the hurt owlet.

"Promise," it insisted.

"I..." They swallowed the lump in their throat. "I promise, Eggie."

The chick closed its eyes and tried wrapping its wings around Ori. "I don't want to lose you."

In that moment, Ori made a decision. If Eggie didn't want them to reverse it, then they shouldn't have the temptation.

Ori took a deep breath. Their eyes fluttered shut. It only took a moment before the spirit guardian heard the tell-tale sound of the Soul Link being made. 

There was no reversing this. And as much as they hurt to see the owlet in pain, Ori felt a little relief. They picked the hurt chick up.

"Let's get you back to Mama," they said.


	4. Prompt 4: Danger

The owlet was recovering nicely. But guilty as they felt- despite the owlet’s assurance that it wasn’t their fault- Ori ended up staying by its side even more than they had before. And despite its insistence that it was fine, it didn’t need to be babied, the young bird didn’t seem to really want them to leave. 

And for the most part, they sat together in silence.

It was a few days after the accident when the owlet finally spoke something other than what they had usually done.

“How’d you know how to take that on?”

Ori glanced at the chick. “Take what on?”

“The slug.”

They paused, considering their words. Ori didn’t like talking about the past. There was a lot of hurt and pain and death. A child shouldn’t hear that sort of stuff.

Especially when its mother was the one to inflict much of it.

They spoke, aware of every word that left them. “I dealt with a lot of slugs before.“

“You never talk about them, Ori. “

"That’s because it’s not a good story,” they replied, looking away. “It’ll give you nightmares.”

“Is that why you cry at night? Because you have nightmares?" 

The question was innocent. They could tell that. But it still stung to admit it. "Yes. I don’t want to give them to you, too." 

The owlet was quiet for a few minutes. When it spoke again, their voice was quieter. "Ori, you don’t have to protect me from the past. I learned some of it from Mama and Gumo. I know what she did. But Mama doesn’t know what you did ‘til she found you in the burning forest, and Gumo doesn’t want to talk about what you did.” It blinked at Ori beseechingly. “Please, just tell me. I want to know what happened.”

“Eggie…”

“Please, Ori.”

The spirit guardian sighed, covering their face with their paws. “It was awful, Eggie. I lost Mama, I nearly lost myself…” They paused, looking up at the owlet. “But I was revived, and I- I found a friend. I couldn’t have saved Nibel without them." 

Ori took a deep breath before continuing. "But the corruptions scared me. There were so many, and they were out to kill. I- I died to them, first, and I couldn’t forget the feeling of terror that engulfed me. A single slug is nothing compared to what I had to take on over my journey.”

“But there was more. Egg-mama hurt you.”

“Yes, Eggie. She did.” Ori shook their head. “Driven mad with grief… She… she was terrifying. I can still hear her shrieks, the air whistling as she swooped in for the kill. She was the most dangerous, scary creature I ever met.” Their hand moved over their heart. “But she shouldn’t have died. I should have done better. If I were a little faster-”

“You would have died.”

Startled, Ori looked at the owl. It was staring down at the nest.

“The fires were burning. She caught you, crushed you. It was only 'cause Mama came in she didn’t end you.” It sighed, meeting Ori’s gaze with tear - filled eyes. “I wouldn’t have met you if you died then.”

“Eggie,” they choked. 

“I told you already, Ori. I don’t want to lose you.”

Unable to hold back their tears, Ori sobbed into the owlet’s feathers.


	5. Prompt 6: Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who wonder where prompt 5 is, I was convinced out of my writing conundrum by a couple friends who were concerned I was overworking myself

"Ori!"

The spirit guardian stirred. But despite the enthusiasm they heard in the owlet's voice, Ori was tired and didn't appreciate being woken up. 

"Lemme sleep a little longer," they moaned, burying their muzzle into the bedding. The owlet sighed, then nudged Ori with its head. 

"It's snowy outside!" it added.

That got their attention. Ori sat up, startling the owlet in losing its footing. It tumbled off Ori's bed with an indignant squawk. Ori made a small, nervous laugh, before hopping off to help the owlet stand again. Once back on its feet, the bird scrambled for the outside. 

"C'mon!" it called. 

Ori glanced back at the sleeping figures of Naru and Gumo. Deciding it wouldn't be hard to wake them up if something arose, Ori joined the owlet just beyond the cave entrance. It ruffled its feathers.

"Race you to the river!" it said, before immediately taking flight. With a pause to playfully call out "Cheater!", Ori leaped after it, snow crunching under their hooves. The duo reached the ice just about the same time. 

Then the owlet tried to land, only to slip on the ice and land on its behind. 

Ori couldn't help but smile.

The owlet made a huff, as if angry, but the glint in its eye said otherwise. The snow that was promptly swept into Ori's face only proved the point.

The spirit guardian grinned and picked up some snow of their own to make a snowball. They tossed it at the owlet, sending it skidding across the ice. It shrieked in delight. Once it had come close enough to the bank, it shuffled to the comparatively steadier snow.

"Betcha can't get me now," it taunted.

Using their abilities would be cheating, they decided. The spirit guardian carefully placed a foot on the ice. But despite their caution, Ori slipped after a few steps, landing awkwardly on the ice. Helpless, they careened into a snow drift. The owlet's laughter sounded muffled thanks the pile of snow that then fell on Ori. They stuck their head out of the mound, shaking the snow off them before crawling out. 

"Come here!" they said, scooping more of the snow. The chick immediately went running, its churrs filling the air. Ori ran after it and tackled it, sending them both tumbling and rolling in the cold. So busy were they in their fun, they didn't notice a sleepy Naru lumbering out of a cave to watch them. They were both so happy for once, and she loved to see them like this, even if it meant forgoing a bit of rest. And the cold didn't bite much.

For as frigid as the air was, the sound of laughter warmed it up.


End file.
